Holy Templar Sanctum (Aincrad)

[Apollymi]

"Oh? So willing to step aside if a rising star better suits the situation? You aren't making yourself sound less qualified Charlie~" she explained the situation to him as best she could. Her leader seemed to be unaware of the qualities which made him a reasonable leader, but anyone who'd worked for someone or done a group project before in school already knew, which was why his group operated around him the way it did. He called his ability to strengthen bonds between Angelica and Ivy friendship not leadership. "Those things aren't mutually exclusive Charlie, the quality applies to both~" she claimed which would only go to the type of person she was and how she saw the world in general. Perhaps what Charlie actually needed was a confidence boost, the gorgeous princess at his side was sure to do wonders for him if he ever fully acknowledged that situation the way he should. As far as Ivy could see right now, they were well on their way to being a proper couple.

Ah, she was supposed to give this a rest because things didn't always play out as normal. That there was magical stuff involved from time to time and not all stories were the same as they were before. "That's true enough, but usually when magic is involved something is weird, and usually a lot worse than it is being given credit for," she said calmly as ever. Several heroic tales had played out strangely. She knew for instance that this world's 'King Arthur' was 'Queen Artoria' she'd heard several mythological beings were real and had lives that played out according to their legends. But she'd also heard things like the world was once one place and it broke apart forming all the different nations and continents currently on the ground. Life was strange in this world that was certain. At the same time Angelica heard everything said but some of it made sense and others of it didn't. Still, she'd listen and try to piece it all together.

At the same time, Charles claimed to want to know her terms, before deciding it didn't matter because he wasn't the boss of her. He also claimed Ivy probably shouldn't have admitted being interested in things like that. "Idiosyncrasies in knowledge are always worth exploring. I have to retain some form of objectivity or I can't be a good recordkeeper. That being said I realize that she was actually a person you knew," she explained of herself. Of course, she had other parts of his speech to address. "You are definitely the boss of me, whether you are willing to admit that or not. But if you don't care how I do it... then I'll be back in a few minutes~" she said giving a salute and bow before a strange portal opened up behind her, after a light glow around her person. She subsequently turn around and walk out seeming to be quite excited. "That was a strange conversation. I like her though... but I am really confused," claimed Angelica. Several sentences spoken seemed to make little sense to her. What was lore? What kind of strange knowledge did other people have, were they clairvoyant?

[Bloodedge]

"Well I... you..." Charlemagne was suddenly stammering, working his way through some sort of response to Ivy's claims. How could he continued to drive his point home? There had to be some way, right? "Shut up!" was all he offered in the end. Yes, that was the perfect comeback. Rather... it was all he could come up with.

In Ivy's experience, including magic in what they once knew as history made things weird and... worse. Charlemagne had a different experience, though he did know what she meant. Several thoughts passed through his mind in the form of memories, both from stories and from his own life. "That's just the stuff people hear about most. Besides, it was all during the Age of Gods. Everything was worse then," he said solemnly. Charlemagne himself had lived during those times. He knew many historical and mythological stories that sounded like child renditions of events happening before his very eyes. Those however, were a long time ago. Similar differences in the past thousand years or so had not been leaning in the same direction with such frequency.

Whatever the case, Ivy had her habits when addressing lore and the like, and she was allowed them. Whatever she wanted to think about the situation was fine with him. If it hurt no one, he had nothing negative to say. Of course, he did have an opposing opinion about being the boss of anyone... but that was an aside. Ivy was off to accomplish the task regardless. Once she was gone via her personal teleportation method, Angelica made known her confusion as well as her thoughts about Ivy. "I think she likes you too, but what's confusing you?"

[Apollymi]

Charles stammered through a reaction, ultimately ending to tell the woman known as Ivy to shut up. She would of course, but not without grinning like a woman who'd just won the lottery. All of her initial's life training as a lawyer said that when someone got that kind of flustered they were incapable of properly arguing a point. It was a fair tactic to use to force people into admitting things, and the words themselves leaned directly into what she meant. "Whatever you say, Charlie~" she teased just a little. As for his take on the Age of the Gods and its associated problems, she could only agree. "I wasn't around during that time, but tales of spoiled divinities creating chaos for mortals unchecked does indeed sound like a way worse time than right now," she mused. She couldn't argue. Many legends said crazy things about gods, destroying places because they were upset, changing the forms of people they'd wronged, introducing death as a punishment for hubris... ah, but all of that couldn't be true either. There was always extra information between the lines. And that was what Ivy searched for. As she descended through her own method of teleportation she'd find herself without trace of movement on floor 79, within the deeper reaches of the archives. She was moving through those alphabetized records until she found those pertaining to Jeanne d'Arc. In these walls covered in books and files she would soon be perusing a rather sordid and highly classified tale.

At the same time, Charles was stating that he thought Ivy liked Angelica too and wondered more directly over her confusion. "Ah, that's a relief. I am trying my hand at still being myself but having better introductions!" she asserted. Regardless she managed to look a bit abashed as she explained her point of confusion. "I didn't know why the word lore was used in that context. And it also sounds like Ivy and maybe you too, know things no one else does... so like are you guys like clairvoyant or something?" she asked about two things at once. Ah, well, that was out there and they did need something else to do. She could trust Charles to explain things to her in a way she'd understand them, they had that sort of relationship after all.

[Bloodedge]

With only Angelica and himself in the library, Charlemagne heard questions he didn't expect to be presented with at this point in a 1,000+ year-long life. He supposed however, that if he was going to actually marry the Holy Princess, she deserved to know the truth eventually. He'd be better off telling her that sort of thing beforehand. As such, Charlemagne pulled two chairs away from a nearby table, placing them beside each other, angled slightly inward. He sat in one, and patted the other briefly. "Ah... right," he said, seeming to almost dread the fact that this topic had come up. Life in that other world was so very long ago, yet still so precious a memory. Things were simpler then. Yes, people like him were living a dream in a magical world... but there was so much more to it than that.

"We're not clairvoyant. Well..." Charlemagne paused. Toward the end of his date with Angelica, he wondered if he was developing some form of Clairvoyance. Alas, that had nothing to do with the current topic. "I should say no form of magical foreknowledge is going into the stuff we say. I guess, if you're sure about the whole marriage thing, there's something I should tell you."

Charlemagne had never intended to keep his previous life a secret. On the other hand, he hadn't a clue how to even broach the topic. Now was as good a time as any, he thought. "So, Angie. Imagine... life in this world suddenly ended for you. Ugh, wait. That sounds morbid, doesn't it? I mean... imagine you wake up tomorrow, and nothing's the same. Close your eyes. You've been born all over again, all your memories intact, but you're a completely new person. You're born to new parents in a world with no magic. Because magic and magecraft never existed, people who wanted to start fires used methods like what I showed you earlier... but eventually, humans found better ways to do everything. Instead of doing so much, someone creates a little thing that fits in your pocket, which could make a little fire you could use to ignite something else. The world has no rideable flying creatures, so a couple of guys threw together a bunch of wood and fibers with wings, all to be more like birds. Even that evolves beyond those two guys, with future people making even bigger versions of it out of metal that could carry hundreds of people at a time. Instead of mana, devices of all sorts use the energy of burning coals, then fuels, then motion, then lightning that someone learned how to harness without any magic at all!" Once more, Charlemagne had started a tangent. This one, however, was no rant. He was recalling human innovation from his original, nonmagical world, and he was doing so with the twinkle of fondness in his eye. "Just think. Can you imagine that? Can you see yourself falling asleep right now, and waking up to something extraordinary like that?"

[Apollymi]

In the Archives, Ivy had started reading and taking notes. The things she found most interesting about this deep dive into Jeanne d'Arc's story wasn't the things recorded but the things that were removed from the records. For instance, the records weren't entirely clear on the sort of heresy she was being accused of, it claimed her soul was tainted in some way, but it was missing the how. Jeanne's own testimony about events had been stricken. Names and dates and explanations of her whereabouts leading up to her return to Aincrad and talks with Father An were erased. There were claims that she colluded with devils, but no proof of her actually doing so. There were claims she was interacting with 'demons' reinforced by things she said at her execution, but the words she said during her execution were redacted. As she read multiple accounts from multiple view points, the same kinds of information were missing. The assignment she was on for Aincrad, why she was found to be a heretic, what she said while she was being executed, why they claimed she was unrepentant. "Propaganda. This much redaction is usually done to preserve the image of someone. But in the context of this story, what is missing is the most important details," she murmured to herself. It wasn't just across the official documentation either. Even witness accounts taking at later times which claimed she called out to demons removed the name she spoke and even certain words she said.

Ah, but while Ivy did a deep dive into the history of Jeanne d'Arc's trial and execution Angelica was given a long sit down talk. Apparently Charles had something to tell her and instead of coming straight out with it, he went on a bit of a tangent. She closed her eyes and listened to his words and all of it sounded quite jarring if she was being honest. She knew that the humans existed for the most part without magic, but even they had some exposure to it. The idea of completely non-magical world and all the advancements that came along with it, were quite wonderous but also frightening. "I can't really imagine anything like that... I get that magic isn't necessary but that whole thing sounds like it would be completely foreign to someone like me. Like I already have a thousand more questions about things just based off of what you've said so far," she explained of herself. Still she wouldn't stop him. "But you can keep going I do want to understand," she offered. This was the sort of kind a girl like Angelica was, even when she didn't understand she wanted to in some way.

[Bloodedge]

Unsurprisingly, Angelica had some difficulty imagining the scenario Charlemagne gave. Even with the media and imaginary magic in his original world, actually conceptualizing something like this world was nearly impossible. That is, until it became life. "Don't worry. There are a lot of nuances to those developments. I don't expect you to get a complete visual, but just imagine how surreal it would all be to you," he added. Nevertheless, there was purpose in his musing. "Now, think about all the things you know in your current life ─ all the things you would still remember when you're reborn into this new world. You start growing up, and you realize... you've been reborn with a name you once heard in a fairy tale or read in a storybook. You're born as..."

He took a moment to think. There were so many stories that could be told, but nothing he figured Angelica would know for certain. As such, he had to make something up. "Let's veer off into the imaginary for a sec. In this world, Angelica Edelfelt exists only as a story. She was the Holy Princess who built the most extravagant palaces all within a floating empire in the sky. She eventually became the Holy Empress and broke a magical seal that kept her bound to the empire itself, and all her abilities became the cause of awe and inspiration for many generations to come. This is the story you heard before being reborn into a world of technology. As you grow up in that world, you learn that you are Angelica Edelfelt from the stories. The problem is, the world doesn't work on magic. You know who you are, and you know those stories are supposed to be your life. You come of age, and you still build those palaces. You cut the stones, you build the framework with your own hands, and you become a legend for doing all that without magic. Or... maybe you find out the stories you knew were wrong, and you were just the person making blueprints for someone else to build. Maybe you just get all the credit. Maybe breaking a seal and escaping a floating empire is actually the story of how you were some shut-in princess in a tower, who finally wandered outside to tell her story after becoming an adult. Maybe it happens exactly like it did in the stories, but instead of doing things with magic, you were the first to build a machine that could accomplish those things for you. You know what to expect, but the reality of it couldn't possibly be the same. It might not even happen at all, really. Maybe you even realize Angelica Edelfelt is, in reality, a man named Angeal. That last part isn't really important, but it could happen."

[Apollymi]

Ivy continued reading through various tomes taking note of things said, unsaid and redacted and came to some rather annoying conclusions. The missing information was too great for anything considered airtight in either direction. But the problem with that was, how little there was left to draw conclusions from. It was almost like everything missing was missing so that only a specific conclusion could be drawn. Everything missing from all forms of information all seemed geared towards the story that was told. Jeanne d'Arc as a heretic and was executed justly. But if that was the case, why was there no records of her saying heretical words? Why wasn't it listed what actually happened to lead anyone to believe she'd been engaged in evil? Why were her last words redacted? Why were the words she spoke during her execution removed completely from the records? Why wasn't there an account of the things collected from her body, though it was mentioned at least once that something was left by her corpse and it wasn't simply her mystic codes? 'Hm, it is starting to seem like you may have experienced one of the worst endings this world had to offer... and none of us even get to know why...' she mused to herself. She finished making all of her copies and drawing up her notes to point out the problems so that even someone like Charles and Angelica could understand the problems with what she found. What they would do with that information she didn't know, but she'd make sure they got it.

And now there was quite a bit of information going into the mind of Angelica. She wasn't supposed to imagine it completely there were a lot of smaller things that went into this otherworld shift. But she could take this thought exercise of Charles' at face value. She was to imagine knowing all she did about this world and being born into the other one. She was to think about what it would be like to know the story of her life, while living it. That sounded a different sort of crazy. How many of your actions were your own in that case? Did you do the things you were destined to do? Or did you do something completely different and try to avoid it? "There are so many problems with all of that... not the least of which being, I'd be extremely upset if I randomly became a man!" she said firmly. Ah well everyone had a sticking point or two. "But I think I understand. It sounds like it'd be pretty rough though, how much of what you do would be your own choice then? Do you aim to go for what should be your storybook happy ending? How do you avoid just locking yourself up somewhere because you know potentially how you're supposed to die, or something like that?" there were so many potential issues and this kind of life sounded very frightening over all. Still she wasn't sure why this was where the conversation had gone to. "But beyond all of that, I can imagine being reborn and confused but Charlie why are you telling me all of this, and is this still connected to my original question?" she asked. If it was, she could only see his answer being one thing and that was kind of scary in a different way as well.

[Bloodedge]

Angelica immediately took issue with the idea of being reborn as a man. He wasn't sure how to explain a video game in a world that didn't have such technology, but it was due to such a thing that he knew many, many people in this world were born as something they preferred looking at on a screen. Regardless of the issue she first mentioned, Angelica thought the technical foreknowledge would make things rather complex. How much of one's life was their own choice? How should one approach having that information? Knowing multiple individuals who reincarnated into known historical figures, that was something he once spent a long time thinking about. "That's easy, isn't it? I think the best way to deal with it, is to not deal with it at all. Approach life the way people always should: however you want. If something's going to happen, knowing about it beforehand shouldn't affect things in day-to-day life."

Now that his belief on the matter had been shared, there was one more question for Charlemagne to deal with. In short, he could say yes, the scenario mentioned was directly related to Angelica's original question. It was never that simple though, was it? "Well, see... that whole technological, nonmagical world I just made up? I didn't make it up. That's where I was born the first time. I woke up one day, fully conscious as a newborn baby named Charles. That's it. Just Charles. I grow up, live the life of an adventurer then clear a Labyrinth and find out my name has been upgraded to Charlemagne. Charles the Great. King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor... leader of the 12 Peers. That's a story from more than a thousand years before I was born. He led one of the greatest empires in history, died of a fever, and was only given sainthood afterwards. But... that's not me. My name is something I can't even say. Charlemagne. That's what comes out every time, like this world is forcing me to conform to what it wants me to be." Things had gone a bit dark, almost brooding, but Charlemagne cracked a smile at the very end. He always had a habit of applying such carefree reactions to serious topics about himself, but this wasn't meant to be about him anyway. "Can't be bogged down by stuff like that though, right? That's how it is~"

[Apollymi]

According to Charles the main issue that Angelica took with the other world life 'foreknowledge' was something best left ignored for one's own wellness. He claimed living as you wanted to was the most important part. She looked at him with a raised brow after a statement like that, "It's admirable but also terrifying. I also don't think it would be that easy to just do so, I don't envy anyone that," she said giving it a bit of consideration. She couldn't say what she'd do with any amount of foreknowledge. It all sounded completely foreign to her.

Moving on from that, hearing out the darkness of Charles about his life so far. He claimed to be from that non-magical human engineered world. He also claimed that he knew of what his own life was apparently going to be to some extent. Though several words and phrases didn't make sense. Whatever his name had been while he was in that non-magical world, he wasn't even allowed to say it. That seemed a bit sad in truth. He was over 1000 years old here, but it still seemed a bit unfair that he couldn't even use his original name. "That sounds like a scary amount of information to have about your future. And it also sounds like all of you guys who are from that other place should probably be in a support group to help each other," she said giving a firm pat to the lad's head. He managed to smile and claim to not be bugged by it, but it still seemed like the sort of things that needed friendship to overcome. Given what he said about this other world and the context clues from earlier conversations, it seemed like even though they might not have been present many might have already had knowledge of the kind of life and end Jeanne d'Arc would have faced. Moreover she wondered if Jeanne was aware of any of this information herself. The blonde lass she'd known for her early life never seemed very bogged down by anything at all. "Huh, that other world life thing probably explains why Jeanne said her older sister was Artoria Pendragon... I guess I never really questioned something like that as a thing," she said frowning while she thought about it. How many other people lived lives separate from family and friends that could identify them and use their original names or whatever other random thing. Being able to commiserate about shared experiences seemed like something that would benefit all who came here with memories of another world.

[Bloodedge]

"It's not as bad as it sounds. Not for most of us, anyway," Charlemagne assured. "See, without magic in that world, humans had crazy imagination. People would pretend there was magic and all sorts of crazy things like that. A lot of us even dreamed of being in this kind of situation. Isekai, or different world is something my generation always thought about. What if we could be watching television or playing a game, and suddenly we're in that world?"

Charlemagne paused once more. He'd come to realize there was a way to explain video games and the like to Angelica. For the sake of context, he had little choice. "Oh! You know about Servants, right? Imagine Projection Magic being used with a device that could broadcast the visual all over the world. Imagine that being used to make a play, just for people to watch. That's television, or TV for short. Now, imagine that being interactive, so anyone out there could take control of a Servant and do anything they want within the projection. The projection could be as small as a single room, or as big as an entire world or... universe, really. That's a video game. The most popular game of my era was called Age of Eternity. It was so incredible, so massive, and had so much freedom. People like Jeanne played it, and a lot of them became the characters they created. It's the general consensus that being really into the game is what made a lot of people end up here ─ some random magical effect bleeding through the world or whatever. It gets weird with people like me. I didn't have the device to play, so I got into the card game instead. For that... imagine Servant Cards that don't physically summon spirits; they just have numbers and imaginary effects and abilities applied, and you do math to figure out who wins. It's more fun than it probably sounds."

Ah, he was rambling again. Never had Charlemagne been in a position to explain this double life phenomenon to someone else, though. Beyond all that, there was always more to it. His inability to speak his own name was something that stopped being bothersome centuries ago. One remaining oddity, however, was that the world didn't hold others to the same standard. Regarding the sibling relationship between Jeanne d'Arc and Artoria Pendragon, he and many others had much knowledge of the situation. "Hoshimi Emi. She and her sister, Hoshimi Eri, were pretty famous for broadcasting themselves playing Age of Eternity. They were the top-ranked cooperative players across the world! No surprise, they're two of the strongest people I've ever seen now that we're all here. As for the support group... I guess it technically exists? Most big figures in Chaldea are from the world I was first born in."